Greenhouses need a spring clean

Spring is the time to clean and sanitise greenhouses, since the best defence against viruses, fungi and bacteria is cleanliness, it has been asserted.

Online resource All About Planters explains that even if horticulturalists cleansed their glasshouses in autumn then there is no harm in doing it again.

The site recommends removing the contents of a greenhouse and cleaning the walls and roof both internally and externally as well as all plant containers and shelves.

Before returning flora to the greenhouse, horticulturalists are advised to examine their stock as they should not try to nurture a diseased or dying plant as it can be a host for pests and viruses.

Furthermore, gardening tools should also be looked after, with the site stating that they are "an investment that can be handed down for generations".

Meanwhile, reporter Clare Hogan writes in web-based resource Times Online that gardening enthusiasts eager to grow their own produce should locate vegetable plots as close to their house as possible for ease of access.